McKinney Maintenance and Care

McKinney hinges are manufactured in compliance with all applicable federal and ANSI specifications. The following are general maintenance tips for providing long life and proper finish appearance.

Hinges must be free swinging without any binding. To align the hinges to prevent binding the use of shims is recommended, if required. If the hinges begin to make noise, remove any binding conditions, grease or lubricate all moving parts, re-mount the hinge and re-adjust the hinge with the proper shims.

The hinges come “greased” from the factory, but should be checked on a regular basis for lubrication. ASSA ABLOY recommends that hinges used in commercial, high frequency applications or in extreme environmental conditions be lubricated annually to ensure long life and quiet operation. To lubricate our standard hinge, remove the pin and apply a generous coating of lithium grease and reinsert the pin by driving it completely down to the shoulder of the pin head.

Hinges sized properly for the door weight, door size and frequency of use will last for a considerable period of time without maintenance. Hinge screws should be periodically inspected for tightness. Steel hinges are intended for use on interior applications only. Brass and Stainless steel hinges can be used for either interior or exterior. All steel will eventually rust and all brass will eventually tarnish. To slow down the corrosion/tarnishing process, a clear coat of lacquer is applied on the top surface of the steel or brass materials and the finish surface. Plated finishes receive a clear coating of lacquer to protect against atmospheric conditions.

McKinney stainless steel hinges are made with 304 stainless steel material. Stainless steel is corrosion resistant, but not corrosion proof. Because there is at least 10.5% of chromium in stainless steel hinges, oxidation can occur which could leads to the appearance of “red rust”. This red rust could be caused from atmospheric conditions, when hinges are exposed to moist or marine environments, chemical conditions, such as being exposed to high chloride chemicals cleaners, or contact with steel, copper or other foreign materials. Never use steel wool to clean stainless steel hinges. Period cleaning is recommended to avoid seeing red rust on the hinges. We recommend using a general purpose stainless steel cleaner.

Many anti-bacterial cleaners used to clean and sanitize door hardware contain high levels of chlorides which will cause corrosion if not properly rinsed off. For additional corrosion protection, we recommend ordering stainless steel hinges with a clear powder applied over the base metal, (CPC).

Hinges that come painted or plated are in accordance with ANSI/BHMA finishing standards and ASTM B-117 salt spray standards. Caution should be used when installing the hinges to avoid damage to the painted or plated finish. To remove dirt, the use of a soft damp cloth free any chemicals can be used. Abrasive cleaners or lacquer thinners should not be used to clean the surface of the hinges. To do so will void any warranty of that product.

For any questions about our product, please call us at 1-800-346-7707.